Vendetta
by missesz
Summary: I know that many people felt let down by the fight scene and ending to breaking dawn. I was one of these readers. I decide to write my own version. I think it's a good balance between the happy ending everyone wanted with the action that was needed.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was my first fanfiction. I loved all of the books in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, but I was left wanting at the end of Breaking Dawn. There was so much build up for the fight scene, and then... everyone went skipping of into the sunset? I decided to write my own ending for the book. Hopefully this is a good balance between the happy ending everyone wanted, but with the action that was needed. I also have this story posted on . Please take the time to leave constructive reviews. They make writing the stories worthwhile. :-)**

**I do not own any part of the Twilight series. It all belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters sometimes...**

_***_

_I knew he was desperate to keep Edward and me, to imprison us the way he had hoped to enslave Alice. But this fight was too big. He would not win if I lived. I was fiercely glad to be so powerful that I left him no way __**not **__to kill me. _

_"Let us vote, then," he said with apparent reluctance. _

_Caius spoke with eager haste. "The child is an unknown quantity. There is no reason to allow such a risk to exist. It must be destroyed, along with all who protect it." He smiled in expectation. _

_I fought back a shriek of defiance to answer his cruel smirk. _

_Marcus lifted his uncaring eyes, seeming to look through us as he voted. "I see no immediate danger. The child is safe enough for now. We can always reevaluate later. Let us leave in peace." His voice was even more faint than his brothers' feathery sighs. _

_None of the guard relaxed their ready positions at his disagreeing words. Caius's anticipatory grin did not falter. It was as if Marcus hadn't spoken at all. _

_"I must make the deciding vote, it seems," Aro mused. _

_***_

Edward let out a terrifying growl. Before Aro spoke each of us knew his decision. He wanted my family too badly. Zarafina and Benjamin were equally important. Was this how it would end? Could I protect them? For a moment my confidence swayed, and my shield weakened. I could feel the weight of Jane's glare. I looked into her eyes to see that I was not the intended target. She was looking at the child seated upon the russet wolf, _MY child_. Rage took over. I felt my shield strengthen. It was as heavy as steel, but light as a feather.

I closed my eyes tightly. I would need every thought to keep my shield in place.

It all became a blur. Edward spoke only one phrase. My heart flew from my chest and I felt dizzy. Every nerve ending in my body surged with fear and desperate, selfish need. I wanted Renesmee to stay close to me. It was a need that could not be fulfilled…

"Jacob, NOW!"

I opened my eyes in just enough time to see Jacob spin on the spot. He lowered his head, bared his teeth, and then he was gone from my sight.

The most important being in my life was gone. I could not waste a moment on loss or sadness. The only chance they would ever have of escaping rested upon me. My eyes closed again.

I could hear Zarafina's thick accent as I tried to regain my concentration. "Keep them from Bella! She is our only chance!"

I heard the guard surge toward us. A normal person would probably hear no more than a faint wind. They covered the 50 yard distance in the time it would require a human to take one step. I tightened my eyes and gathered my senses. Everything in my body was aware. I could feel, taste, and smell each of the flames that burned under my shield. Jacob and Renesmee were nearing the edge. Jake stopped. His body became tense. He was deciding which direction would be safest. I had to stretch just a _bit_ farther….

The fight began. It sounded like a ferocious storm. I could feel EVERYTHING! I felt the pricks upon my shield as the guard attacked. The red force tightened around our allies. I could feel Zarafina's power as it broke past the shield. Darkness overtook the first wave of attackers. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Tanya, and Kate began the offensive. The wolves poured out from every corner. The horrible screeching sounds were deafening. Each of the others who came to witness for us quickly joined.

The second round of the attack hit the shield. It was taking quite some energy to remain focused with so many obstacles. I pulled my shield against my friends and family yet again. I could feel Ben beside me. I heard him grunt as he sent huge boulders flying across the field, hitting our attackers by the dozens. Horrible screams escaped the mouths of those from outside our protective cover.

"Apparently they dislike burning…," Zarafina giggled behind me.

"Brace yourselves," I heard Benjamin mumble, barely audible.

The ground started shaking fiercely. Relief suddenly overwhelmed me as I felt him - Edward was holding me, keeping me upright as the ground below us shifted. I could hear the earth groan fiercely as it forced itself to open. Hundreds of screams became muffled as they drifted into the unknown darkness.

"That should keep some of them busy for a bit," Ben gloated.

"There are still enough to have some fun with though!" Emmett declared wildly as he jumped onto the back of a very shocked-looking Volturi soldier.

We were doing well! I could feel the confidence rise to the point of elation. The guard hit us again. Edward softly kissed my cheek and left my side to rejoin the fight. Fear hit me, but I could not allow it to overtake me. Renesmee needed me… I could feel Jake on the south side of the field. It pained him to be away from his pack, and his brothers. I had known him long enough to understand that the very essence of his being wanted to fight back. SHE was the only thing that could keep him away. I would stand here fighting, eyes closed, until I knew they were both safe, as would every other who stood with us. I felt a strange sense of calm, but it came moments too soon.

It was all going fantastically. We _could_ finish this. They would all be safe. Then, suddenly, several flames vanished from my sight. Jacob was outside of my shield. He was making his escape.

Edward shot past me faster than he could move. Rosalie darted immediately after. Panic hit me. I heard a small, fragile scream. _Renesmee!_ My shield dissipated. My eyes flew open immediately, my breathing stopped, and instinctively I traced Jacob's scent across the field. I was standing by Edward and Rosalie in an instant.

The battle continued behind us, but it was lost to me now. Demetri stood directly in front of me. A huge devilish grin spread across his face. Jane and Caius appeared next to him suddenly. Behind them I heard a timid, fearful whine. Renesmee had been knocked from Jacob's back. She now lay on the ground 100 yards away, her knees curled to her chin obviously terrified. Jacob lay on the ground just 10 feet in front of me. He had been injured from the hit Demetri had inflicted, but was recovering quickly. Demetri laid his boot into Jacob's ribs with a sickening _crunch._ Jake writhed in agony.

Renesmee and I screamed in unison, "NO!"

Leah, Seth, Embry, and Quil flew to our side. Their teeth were bared menacingly, and every hair stood on end. Their stance was low and ready to attack. The fighting on the other side of the field continued without a second glance in our direction. Thankfully the Volturi had not figured out that our shield was down, _yet._

I stood completely still. My body felt as if it truly were a statue. My limbs weighed a ton. My brain would not cooperate with me. It just ran around and around in dizzying circles. Random flashes appeared to me. I could not expand my shield far enough to cover our allies on the other side of the field, as well as those who stood next to me. I searched desperately in my mind for an answer.

As I contemplated Aro and his shield, Renata, came sauntering over to our small, fierce group. Each of us stood completely motionless, waiting for the other side to attack. They were so close to Renesmee…. They could have her in hand in the blink of an eye. Jane, Demetri, Caius, and Aro stood between me and my daughter. Anger and hatred trembled through my body, waking me up, alerting my senses once again. Red filled my vision as I waited for Aro to speak.

"Edward, Bella," Aro spoke with slight discontent in his voice. "Why do you insist on putting all of those you love through such pain? This can all stop if you would simply hand over the child. I have reconsidered her death. It would be a shame to waste the opportunity to study one so unique amongst our kind. She would be kept safe at our compound, where she can be strictly watched."

Caius flittered to Aro's side as he continued. "You would be more than welcome to join her. You know we have more than enough resources to include your family at our compound. Your family would be left intact, and this mindless fighting could end."

"So the three of us can become an addition to your pet collection? I think not!" Edward replied with hatred dripping from every word. "I can hear your thoughts Aro, or do you forget? We will not become mindless assassins like the rest of your guard."

After pondering for a moment Aro spoke again. "Fine, if this is the way it must be. Jane?"

Everything that happened in the next few moments seemed to be in slow motion. Jane glared at Edward, and in that instant he fell to the ground. Rosalie raced to Renesmee's side. Demetri stepped closer Jacob's injured form. Four guard members appeared from nowhere beside Caius, who stood facing Seth, Leah, Embry, and Quil.

Aro stood back from the group watching intently. I tried repeatedly to throw my shield. My concentration was gone. I could not release it more than a few inches from my body. Demetri gave Jacob another kick and muttered to himself, "It's too bad I have to kill you. You would have made such an enjoyable hunt I'm sure."

That was all it took. The wolves sprang in unison toward the guard. Edward let out a horrifying scream, and Jane just stood back smiling at me. _I will KILL you!_ I threw my shield without thinking, or realizing what I had done. The shield hit Jane, and covered her tightly from head to toe. She flew back about 20 feet, and her body coiled. She shrieked over and over again, "NO! Help me Aro! NOOOOO! MAKE THIS STOP!" She lay on the ground looking and sounding like a lunatic. Edward quickly jumped to his feet, quickly regaining his composure.

Realization hit me. I had blocked her attack on Edward. It must have bounced off the shield, and was now _stuck _in her head.

_I don't have much time before they realized what I've done._ My eyes frantically searched for Demetri, Chelsea, Alec, and Renata. These were their weapons. I had to stop them.

I found Demetri first. He leaned towards Jacob, who lay trembling with anger on the ground. Jacob had almost healed, but he could not yet stand, though he continued to try. I drew my energy to my center, but just before I had thrown my shield Rosalie pounced upon Demetri's back, tossing Renesmee into the air. She landed softly and climbed swiftly onto Jacob's back. Immediately Jake sprung to his feet. Rosalie bit into Demetri's throat savagely, bringing the familiar metallic sound. Emmett sprung across the field and hit Demetri from the right. The two of them ripped him apart.

This was already taken care of. Where were Chelsea and Alec? Chelsea was the next one I saw. There was much more distance between she and I, almost the length of a football field. I closed my eyes, centered myself, and threw. A gasp escaped my throat. Chelsea went flying across the field a second later. I felt her mind trap itself. _Onto the next one… _

I could not see Alec. My eyes flew across the field. Where was he? The fighting continued around me, but with Chelsea lying motionless on the ground some of the guards were simply staring around themselves. Confused, bewildered, and desperately afraid they retreated back to where the Volturi witnesses stood. We now had the advantage of numbers.

Alec appeared out of nowhere next to Jane. "Jane! What's wrong?! JANE!" he screamed. She did nothing but shriek in response. His gleaming, red eyes met mine. He did not attempt to use his powers. Rage and bloodlust threw his body toward me. A threatening hiss escaped my mouth. I hesitated. I had to keep my concentration on Jane and Chelsea.

He was inches from me when he was hit with a thunderous _crash._ Edward wrapped himself around Alec, and threw him to the ground. Sam, Carlisle, and Emmett helped Edward to finish what he had begun. As they were finishing Jacob nudged me on the back of my shin. I looked and saw that he had Renesmee on his back, but she was unconscious.

A sudden gasp escaped my throat. I screamed, "Carlisle! HELP HER!"

He was at my side before I finished speaking. After a moment he spoke, "She is alright I think. Her heart beats strongly."

Calmly Edward added, "I can see her. Her mind is just overloaded. She is desperately trying to take in _everything._ She was afraid this would be the last time she would see any of us. She simply passed out because of the anxiety. She's calm and relaxed now. She just needs rest."

We hadn't realized it, but calmness _did_ seem to surround us. How else were we having this conversation in the middle of a war? The thought seemed to click in each of our heads at the same time. _Jasper!_

_***_

_"Why don't you join us, Alice?" Edward called loudly. _

_"Alice," Esme whispered in shock. _

_Alice! _

_Alice, Alice, Alice! _

_"Alice!" "Alice!" other voices murmured around me. "Alice," Aro breathed. _

_Relief and violent joy surged through me. It took all my will to keep my shields where they were. _

_And then I heard them running through the forest, flying, closing the distance as quickly as they could with no slowing effort at silence. _

_Both sides were motionless in expectation. The Volturi witnesses scowled in fresh confusion. _

_Then Alice danced into the clearing from the southwest, and I felt like the bliss of seeing her face again might knock me off my feet. Jasper was only inches behind her, his sharp eyes fierce. Close after them ran three strangers; the first was a tall, muscular female with wild dark hair—obviously Kachiri. She had the same elongated limbs and features as the other Amazons, even more pronounced in her case. _

_The next was a small olive-toned female vampire with a long braid of black hair bobbing against her back. Her deep burgundy eyes flitted nervously around the confrontation before her. _

_And the last was a young man . . . not quite as fast nor quite as fluid in his run. His skin was an impossible rich, dark brown. His wary eyes flashed across the gathering, and they were the color of warm teak. His hair was black and braided, too, like the woman's, though not as long. He was beautiful. As he neared us, a new sound sent shock waves through the watching crowd—the sound of another heartbeat, accelerated with exertion._


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone in the field stood frozen. A look of shock spread across the faces of many, me included. _What was she thinking_? Why would Alice ever even _consider _bringing a human near here!?I was frantic. _I don't know if I can control it! _

I knew that I could handle my thirst around Jacob, Renesmee, and Charlie. These were people I had emotional links to. I had convinced myself that this was why I could push the need away. _He_ was a complete stranger. I waited. My breathing slowed. I was prepared to stop breathing if it were too much to handle. I anticipated the familiar burn in my throat and the overwhelming need to attack. Edward must have been worried about this as well. He placed his arm firmly around my waist. I looked up only to see that he was still smiling.

The wind blew into my face. His scent hit my nostrils with force. My muscles tightened in preparation to stop myself. I breathed in the strange scent for a few more moments, but felt only a slight urge to drink. My instincts were not forcing me to pounce upon him. He smelled...inviting, yet repulsive. What in the world was going on?

Edward spoke to Alice with an unusual smile upon his face. I had looked at him so often, but this smile was one I had never seen. It wasn't really a smile of excitement or elation. It was more a smile of ....anticipation? "Glad that you decided to join us Alice, won't you introduce your friends?"

Alice, Jasper, and their three new companions moved quickly across the distance until they stood next to our family.

"Of course, I am sure you have heard about Zarafina and Senna's companion Kachiri," she motioned to the Amazon. "This is Huilen," she continued pointing to the olive-toned female. Next she placed her hands upon the human. "And _this, _is Nahuel."

Emmett elbowed Jasper playfully, "I was beginning to think you were gonna miss all of the fun!"

Edward turned to face the Volturi. His features became stern as he spoke, "Aro, you said before that if there were a chance that we could be absolutely positive about Renesmee's future then you would leave us alone. Does that offer still stand?"

"No," Aro answered abruptly.

Renata cringed and took a pronounced step back. She hid behind Aro's body, but her fingers still did not leave him. I looked at her with speculation. How was her shield different from mine? Obviously she could not project like I could. Why would she need to touch Aro if that were the case? It also occurred to me that she did not protect his mind either. Edward could read his thoughts even when she was present. Was it purely a physical shield? Hmmm...

"Aro please let my friend Huilen explain!" Alice pleaded. She looked quickly from Aro to Hulien. "Hulien, please, let him touch you. It's all you have to do. He will see what life, or lack there of, has presented to you and your nephew."

Huilen nodded and took one cautious step forward. She held out her hand to Aro. He laid his fingers softly upon her palm as his eyes entered a blank stare. It seemed like centuries had passed before he released her.

"My, that is absolutely _fascinating_," his eyes glanced from Nahuel to Renesmee. A reflexive hiss escaped my throat. "This will require another moment of discussion. Brothers we must deliberate once again."

Caius glared at the newcomer and walked hastily to Aro's side.

Marcus did not seem to have the same vigor as his brothers. He no longer looked bored. He seemed almost hesitant. His eyes darted to Chelsea's motionless figure and then to me. He seemed to be contemplating something very, very important. His face looked apprehensive. He went to stand with his brothers. They spoke so quietly that not even our expert hearing could make out the words.

I leaned up to Edward's ear and whispered almost silently, "What is going on?!"

He glanced quickly at Caius, Marcus, and Aro before replying, "We have been wondering if Renesmee is the only one of her kind, right?" I nodded. He looked to Nahuel and spoke more quietly. "It seems Alice has found our answer."

My eyes widened with sudden understanding. _He is a half-breed too. _This was why Alice and Jasper had left us. She could not speak of it without fear of Aro finding out.

What remained of the Volturi guard had gathered behind their leaders. The fighting had come to a complete halt. I wondered if it was because Chelsea was disabled, or becuase of an unspoken order from their leader.

A vaguely familiar face came into view. A strikingly beautiful woman with dark, glossy hair stepped out from the crowd. She leaned down to comfort Jane who was still squirming and screaming. Where did I know this woman from? I knew I had met her, but who was she?

A moment later she stood again. Her eyes glanced lazily across our group. When she looked to Renesmee and Nahuel they both stopped to stare. Her body, though almost completely still, seemed to sway ever-so slightly. Renesmee climbed off of Jacob's back, and Nahuel took a step forward.

Alice raised one eyebrow and looked at the woman. She spoke with a hint of forewarning, "I definitely_ would not_ do that if I were you...."

It hit me like a brick wall. Heidi! I recognized her from when I went to Volterra. I was there to stop Edward from his suicide mission. She had brought all those innocent people into the main hall for "dinner".

What was her power? I couldn't think. It had something to do with humans. What was it...? My mind raced, but found nothing but blank thoughts. How could I have forgotten about her?!

She smiled defiantly at Alice and continued in her little dance. Renesmee took one step forward, staring longingly at her, and then another.

"Renesmee stay where you are!" I growled. She continued as if I hadn't said a word.

I suddenly remembered what it was. She could "lure" humans. She could take them anywhere she wanted them to go.

Renesmee and Nahuel each took another step forward. Jacob matched Renesmee step for step. He whined pleadingly as his mouth tugged her pants. He looked over to me unsure of what was happening. My eyes darted to Heidi's swaying figure and I clenched my jaw. Anger spread across my face. He looked to Heidi and then to me. He gave a little nod to let me know he understood.

Heidi spoke, "Come to me little ones. Let me show you somethi....AHHHHH!"

Jacob had leapt from Renesmee's side and now stood with his paws upon Heidi's chest. He spit a white chunk from his mouth, and darted back in front of Renesmee. His stance was defensive. A bone chilling growl pulsed in his throat.

Both Renesmee and Nahuel shook their heads quickly, like waking up from a dream. Nahuel stumbled back to Huilen's side. Renesmee dashed into Edward's ready arms. Heidi raised her hand to her mouth. Half of her lower jaw was missing. There was nothing but empty, black space behind it. She hissed and crouched, ready to pounce.

"Heidi! Enough!" Aro spoke. He was obviously irritated with the disruption.

Heidi glared at Jacob with absolute malice as she stood.

"Told ya so!" Alice chimed.

Emmett couldn't help himself, "Bet it'll be hard to seduce people looking like a messed up pumpkin!" he laughed.

Heidi turned as if she were about to attack. Emmett smiled, hoping for a reaction. She returned her hand to her mouth and turned away.

Once again we stood waiting. It seemed like centuries since the three had started their exchange. As badly as I wanted her in my arms, I let Edward continue to hold our daughter. I needed to be prepared, just in case. My eyes continually scanned the group that stood in front of us. I kept my shield up around Edward, Renesmee, Jacob, and I. I continued to hold my shields firmly over Jane and Chelsea.

I did not want to use more energy than necessary during this pause in fighting. I was still unsure of how my shield worked. I'd hate to run out of energy when it was needed most.

Jasper continually shifted from side to side. He was uneasy. Edward sat Renesmee onto Jacob's back as he tightened his jaw. His stance suddenly became defensive. I heard Caius say something in a menacing tone as Marcus leapt away from their circle.

"ENOUGH!" Marcus spoke. Chagrin oozed from his voice as he continued, "I will no longer be a pawn for the two of you! Your need for power is insatiable. These people have done no wrong. I love you both dearly, but I will not stand for this nonsense any longer!"

I gasped.

"Marcus, please be calm," Aro responded in an agitated tone. "Poor Caius was simply trying to make a point. I must say that I agree. What we do is for the good of our kind as a whole. There are always some minor casualties. What is but a few vampires compared to our existence? Please calm yourself and reconsider. We are brothers in this world Marcus, the nightly patrons of the arts. We are **Gods** amongst the people in Volterra. You mean to turn your back on your life, on _our_ lives, because of these strange half-breeds? It is absolutely necessary to study these creatures before we release them. The threat they hold is too great. We have to understand them first."

Marcus looked directly at me and continued, "Bella, thank you for your gift. Thank you for stopping Chelsea. I can finally think for myself again."

He turned to face his brothers. "Aro and Caius, I love you both dearly. How could I not after so many centuries? But, your minds have become distorted. You are not the friends I remember so fondly anymore. You **_will not_** take these innocent people from their homes simply to satisfy your need for weapons and power!"

"I do not think you understand the challenge you are placing dear one!" Caius hissed. "WE are the Volturri! With or without you we will rule! Our law is definite. Do not make us come for you too."

Marcus chuckled under his breath. "Do not worry yourself, dear Caius. I have been held captive for too long and you forget _I KNOW YOU BOTH WELL._ I can feel your presence no matter where you are! I will sense you from all ends of the earth. I do not want to fight you dear brothers, but if you come near Renesmee, Nahuel, or their families again you will be met with _great_ resistance."

A cheer erupted from our alliance. We were all ecstatic for Marcus's revelation, minus one. Amun lowered his head, took Kebi by the shoulder, and disappeared into the forest.

The Volturri witnesses stood in complete shock. None left the spot where they stood. Quiet murmurs swept across the field.

Carlisle stepped forward and spoke, "Aro, please be reasonable. I am your friend. I have been for many centuries. I beg you, do not continue this. We have no reason to harm you if you would simply leave us to our lives. You are outnumbered without Chelsea." He glanced over his shoulder to the Volturri witnesses. "Look at how many deserted you once her influence was broken. The witnesses alone will damn you if you continue." He took a deep breath before going on. "Also, do not forget our most important weapon. Bella has two of your most honored guard members trapped by their own ability. You have seen it. I believe she can do much more."

This was a lie. I have never pushed myself farther in my entire life. I was unsure if I could handle one more hostage, let alone the entire Volturri guard!

Aro and Caius looked at each other in amazement. Surely this was the first time they had ever considered retreating. Caius whispered something harsh into Aro's ear.

Aro shook his head, "We will not win this."

After a moment he spoke to Marcus again, "Then we will leave. Please return the guard members your Bella has trapped."

Marcus looked at me for a response, and I answered, "I will release them, _but_, if they use their powers again before leaving I can _guarantee_ you will regret it."

Better to follow Carlisle's lead at this point I guessed. They, nor I, had any idea of what I was capable of.

"Alice?" I looked at her knowing she would understand my question, _will it be okay?_

"It will be fine Bella," she answered coolly.

I closed my eyes and found my center. I pulled with all my strength. It was like pulling on a stray piece of elastic. It was not difficult to pull, but it was incredibly hard to break. When it released I gasped. I felt myself become whole again.

Chelsea sat up. She looked dazed.

Jane stood immediately. She still had the same crazed look in her eye. She was irate.

I pulled myself in and exhaled as I immediately replaced my shield around our allies. Everyone was so close to one another that I didn't have to stretch far. It was becoming easier to pull the shield tightly. Jane's eyes scanned our group. My confidence in this shield was absolute. Why did she think she could still attack us? I guess fury sometimes overwhelms common sense.

I glanced around me. Everyone seemed to be accounted for, except...hmmm. Jacob stood next to me with Renesmee, Edward just on the other side. Everyone was there, all of the Cullens, the Denali Clan, the Amazons, the Egyptians, less Amun and Kebi, the Irish Coven, and the nomads. Who was missing?

Sam let out a desperate howl. _Oh God! _

He had walked away to keep an eye on Chelsea while she made her way back to Aro and Caius.

Zarafina let out a wild hiss.

It was instinct now. I threw my shield over Jane once again. She began that wretched screaming all over. Sam stood and ran to our group.

Zarafina turned to face me. Her eyes widened and her brow dropped in confusion.

"Get her and leave before I _**kill**_ her!" I growled. I did not want to give them any more reason to stay and fight. Right now everyone was okay, but if this continued....

"Drop your shield and we will go," Aro replied.

"NO! I will drop my shield after you are gone. Only then." I responded with absolute resolve.

"Felix," Aro breathed coarsely, "Gather Jane and the rest. Let us be gone."

**A/N: Hmm... Jane is awfully stubborn. Do you think Bella will release her? Why is Zarafina so confused? I am curious to hear your theories before you continue. :-) **

**I don't own any part of Twilight. They belong to Stephanie Meyers.**


	3. Chapter 3

I looked around to be sure our allies were firmly covered beneath the shield. I did not want to let my guard down for fear of another "Sam" incident. Marcus came towards our group and stood beside Carlisle.

Aro looked at Marcus with great sadness. Their coven had remained intact for so long. It had to be a great loss for him. I was still unsure if the loss he felt was for losing his friend, or because he had just lost yet another item from his collection.

Caius stood for a long moment glaring at Carlisle. Carlisle simply responded with a look of remorse. His refinement never ceased to amaze me. The wives, Sulpicia and Athenodora, came from the back of the guard to stand with their husbands. _I wonder why they did not join the fight... _

Aro took Caius by the shoulder and they turned away. The majority of the guard followed them away from the field. Felix walked to the place where Jane laid screaming and writhing. He stared at me with absolute loathing as he swept her from the ground. Scorn crept through his voice as he spoke, "Do not think this will be the end." He turned and quickly ran to Caius's side.

Chelsea ran quickly to catch up with him. She seemed terrified with the thought of turning her back to walk away from us. Edward grinned.

Heidi stood very still. She touched her hand to her mouth, and stared intensely at Jacob. She seemed to be debating a battle. She settled for a devious hiss, and turned to leave.

I held my breath for a moment, waiting for one of the Volturri to come back for revenge. After the last of the group stepped over the hill and out of sight I sighed with relief.

Emmett reached down and patted Jacob on the head. "Good dog!" he chuckled. Jacob responded in his hacking laugh.

Marcus spoke, "I am so sorry for all of this. Carlisle, I hope you understand that I have not been myself for the last few centuries. When my wife Didyme died I lost all hope for our existence. I had nothing to stand for. That combined with Chelsea's unusual ability left me hollow and empty." He looked around at our peculiar group. "You have all shown me that our species can be so much more than monsters."

Carlisle smiled warmly. "Of course we understand. We are all so very thankful that you took a stand in _our_ favor. We can never repay you. I know you must be feeling great loss for your brothers, but please know that you have a home here if needed."

I felt a snap as Jane's shield released. She was too far away now. WE DID IT! The Volturri had left! I grabbed Edward and forcefully planted my lips to his. He kissed me back with such force that it nearly knocked me over. This moment was pure bliss. We stood entangled in each other's arms. Lust plunged through me. I never wanted to let him go again. I would stay here wrapped in his being forever. "I love you so much."

His voice was sweet and intense. "My Bella, I love you too. You were absolutely amazing tonight."

I took a moment to look at our companions. Everyone was celebrating. Most of our allies stood in a large group discussing the highlights of the fight. Carlisle, Siobhan, Esme, and Marcus stood debating what the reaction was going to be amongst the vampire community.

Garrett walked over to Kate. He wrapped her up in his arms and spun her in a circle. He kissed her passionately. "I told you woman, if we lived through this you were never going to be able to get rid of me! OUCH!"

"Oops, sorry," she replied, embarrassed. "I haven't quite mastered my talent when I'm... preoccupied."

"We're _definitely_ going to have to practice." He chuckled.

Jacob nudged Edward and pointed his head towards Renesmme, who was still sleeping on his back. Edward reached down and lifted Nessie carefully into his arms. Jacob ran to the edge of the woods and phased back to his human form. As he walked back to our group he looked at Rosalie, who stood wrapped in Emmett's embrace, and spoke. "Thanks for saving me back there. That Democrti guy, or... whatever his name was, almost took me out. You fight pretty good for a blonde."

"Don't worry about it dog," she replied, "I couldn't have him killing the family pet now could I?" As much as she would hate to admit it, Rose let a small smile escape her perfect lips.

Jacob laughed as he took Renesmee from Edwards arms and gave her a big, loving hug.

"It's late. Lets head back to the house, shall we?" Carlisle motioned across the field.

I took Edward's hand, but apparently that was not enough for him. He swept his hands beneath my legs and arms and carried me. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face against his neck. I breathed his scent in over and over again. Though I could not sleep I felt completely exhausted. Everything in my body felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds suddenly. I exhaled, and nestled myself even closer to him. It was so comforting being wrapped in his arms again.

I glanced up to see Jacob, who was carrying my sleepy daughter, running next to us. We reached the river and jumped carelessly across. When we stepped onto the other side Edward sat me down. We walked hand in hand toward the house. I was ready to sprint to our home, to be alone with my husband and daughter, but the urge to understand and discuss everything trumped this.

We were the last ones to arrive. Many of the others had already seated themselves around Esme's enormous table. The Amazons, the Romanians, and the Nomads stood around the table. It was natural for the Cullens and the Denali clan to feel the urge to sit. The human charade was like second nature to them. Jacob went to stand along the back wall, next to Leah, Seth, and Embry.

"Jake, where are Sam and the other wolves?" I asked, with a bit of worry in my tone.

"Don't worry yourself Bells, they went back to keep an eye on the Rez. Sam was just worried about making sure there were no stragglers," he replied simply. "Plus, Quil needed his Claire fix."

"Was he upset with me? You know, for the whole Jane thing?"

"Nah, not a bit. He felt stupid for walking away on his own."

"Thank goodness. Really though, I thought I had everyone covered. I'll have to be more careful next time..." I blushed with embarrassment and regret.

"BELLA! _Do not_ apologize for anything!" Edward spoke, his tone was vexed. "You saved us all! If it were not for you, love, we would not all be standing here having this discussion!"

The quiet room erupted with cheers and phrases like "he's absolutely right!" and "you were amazing". I blushed again. I was uncomfortable having this much attention directed at me. I did feel pretty happy about the outcome though.

I looked around the room. Joy seized me and shoved the awkwardness aside. They were ALL here. We had gotten out of our dire situation without losing anyone.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and spoke softly, "You saved our lives Bella."

"Speaking of which, how did you do it? I saw the effect you had on Jane and Chelsea," Carlisle spoke with great interest, "What happened? What did you do? Have you also gained an ability like Jane's and Zarafina's?"

I bit my lip. This was going to be hard to explain. "Well, when I saw Jane attack Edward I just got so... mad. I had been trying to get my shield back up, but there was just so much going on, I... I just couldn't. I became furious when Edward started screaming. All I wanted to do was protect him, and stop the attack. I just kind of _threw_ my shield. That's the only way I can think of to explain it."

"_Remarkable,"_ Carlisle responded. "What was it like? What did it feel like?"

"Well," I replied, "It... it's like... exhaling after holding your breath for a very long time. When you try to breathe in again...you can't. It was really uncomfortable. Then, when I covered our group again it was like my chest was imploding. I'm not sure I could have done more than I did. I was stretching too far."

Marcus was sitting beside Carlisle. He sat looking down at his hands folded on the table. He seemed somber. He looked at me for a moment, and then continued looking at his hands.

Alice shook her head. I had seen this look on her face before. She was entranced in a vision. She came to, and a smirk crossed her face.

"Zarafina," she spoke, "I believe you have a question for Bella, right?"

Edward looked at Alice and his eyes widened.

"I'll never get used to that Alice," Zarafina responded. "But yes, I do have a question for you Bella. When you released Jane, and she attacked the wolf, I blinded her. I could not have missed. I have never missed a target. I am wondering... did you block her as well? I hit her with my attack I am sure, but a moment later, I felt nothing. Like when _you_ block my attacks. I was wondering if you blocked me intentionally."

"Umm, yeah, I hit her," I responded, "but I never felt your attack bounce off. I've gotten a feel for you, with the practice and everything. I mean, I guess I could have just missed it, but..."

Edward's phone rang in that instant. He looked directly at Alice. Everyone who could be calling was already here. Hesitantly he answered the phone.

"Hello?"

I recognized the voice on the other end the moment I heard the first syllable. I hissed as Aro's voice rang once again through the air. My expert hearing could easily recognize his voice.

"Edward, I am so sorry to interrupt your festivities, but I have run into a problem."

"There is nothing for us to speak about Aro." Edward said, trembling with anger.

"Oh, yes my dear one, there is. You see, your Bella has not released Jane from her shield. Her screaming has thankfully calmed somewhat, but she cannot see anything. As you can imagine I would hate to have to return at such a tense time, but our agreement was that she would be released when we were gone. We have fulfilled our end of the bargain, now please be so kind to ask Bella to fulfill hers."

"She is out of Bella's range Aro," Edward replied callously. "Bella felt her shield release before we left the field. If you do not believe me then touch Jane again yourself, I am sure you will see that Bella has let her go."

"Jane, come!" Aro called over the phone. After a few moments of silence he spoke again. "Fine, our conversation is over then Edward. Give Marcus my regards." The phone clicked as Edward closed it.

Zarafina and Alice stared at each other for a moment. Zarafina looked confused, but Alice just smiled to herself. She knew something...

"Alice," I asked hesitantly, "what is it you're not telling us?"

"Oh, just that you and Zarafina make a great team," she replied coyly.

I looked at Edward, hoping that he might be able to help me make more sense of things. He was smiling at me. He looked exuberant as he glanced to Alice and spoke, "You're sure of this Alice?"

"I see Aro and Caius discussing it on their way back to Volterra."

"Would someone please tell me what you're talking about," I asked impatiently.

"Well, it looks like you did not miss your target," Edward said to Zarafina.

He looked to me and continued, "Bella, it seems as if your shield hit Jane just moments after Zarafina blinded her. Zarafina's power was trapped inside your shield. Even after Zarafina quit attacking, her power just bounced around inside Jane's head. Now nobody really understands why, but after your shield released Jane remained blinded."

I looked at Edward and Zarafina in amazement. Was I really that powerful?

"Bella," Carlisle spoke, "why don't you have a seat. I think we should all talk about what happened tonight. It seems there is much to discuss."

**A/N: So, what do you think? I think Bella is much stronger than she wants to admit. She just needs to find the confidence to accept it. **

**On a side note: This story was recently plagiarized on this site, which is what made me decide to finally post MY story here. I started writing this story on in December of 2008 under the penname Mrsz. **

**Apparently someone decided it would be a good idea to copy my story word-for-word and post it on as her own. It is slightly irritating, and I am waiting for the Mods on this site to remove her version of MY story. I just wanted to make that clear in case anyone ran across both versions.**


	4. Chapter 4

My mind was spinning in circles. God, I still had to work on controlling my thoughts. My new vampire brain still had a mind of its own. I could not bring myself to focus on one simple thing. Why was it that Jane was still blind? There is NO WAY I'm that powerful. What was the difference between Renata and me? Why didn't the wives join in the fight? Why did Marcus seem so somber? Were we really safe now? God, if anyone tried to hurt my family again... Rage began to overtake me.

My face must have given me away because Edward stood and caressed my back soothingly. "Sit Bella, everything is okay now. We're safe." I looked at him at once, taken out of my hateful trance. Everyone around the room was staring at me, so I quickly seated myself at the table.

Carlisle looked at me with compassionate eyes. "Bella, I cannot imagine how you are dealing with everything so well. It is perfectly acceptable for you to be upset tonight. If you would like, then we can continue this in the morning."

"No," I replied, "go ahead. I think I'm okay now. I am just having a hard time controlling my temper. Every time I think about how they tried to harm all of you, it just makes me so mad. I really need some answers tonight. Otherwise, I think my head might just spin off." I looked sympathetically to Renesmee who was sleeping on the sofa. "Jake, would you mind taking her upstairs to rest? I think we may have a long night ahead of us."

"No problem. I'll be back down in a minute. If I miss anything I'll just have Leah tell me about it later." He walked to Renesmee's side and gently lifted her tiny body. She half-opened her eyes before her head bobbled back down against Jake's chest. I smiled knowing he would take pristine care of her. He had almost given his life for her tonight...

"Thanks Jake, for everything." He looked at me and gave me the smile that only I knew, and then walked upstairs.

Carlisle stood and looked around the room. He laid a hand on Marcus's shoulder and spoke. "First, let us thank all of you for helping us today. Without all of you we would have been lost. Without each of you and your unique abilities the Volturi would have overtaken us."

Marcus spoke, his head still looking at the table, "Aro has always underestimated the power of love and friendships. He has never lost anything important to him. This, I believe, has always been his greatest weakness." He looked up now to stare across the table. Edward looked directly back into his eyes. My husband's face held a depth to it I had never seen before.

Edward's face looked solemn as he spoke, "Marcus, I am so sorry. I can tell you that you are stronger than me. When I faced the thought of losing Bella I attempted to kill myself. Your burdens are great, but we will do all we can to help you."

"I thank you Edward, but this is something I must deal with alone. In the meantime, I believe that you are still in danger. It will not be an immediate attack, but Aro and Caius have large egos. They will not look kindly at a group such as this. Everyone who stands here will be in danger indefinitely."

Emmett chuckled loudly, "Surely they wouldn't be stupid enough to try to come after us again! I mean come on! We just whooped their butts! Bella stopped three of their best guards! Ben sent half of their attackers on a journey to the center of the Earth! I really don't think we have anything to worry about."

"That's precisely my point! All of the reasons you just mentioned will make us more vulnerable. They do not take kindly to opposition. Aro will want Nahuel, Renesmee, Bella, Edward, Alice, Zarafina, and Benjamin more than ever. Plus, Caius has a talent for revenge. He will want to prove his standing in the vampire community. He loathes anyone who stands in the way of his 'Godly' decrees. They will not underestimate you again..." Marcus replied simply.

"Can we go into hiding?" Jake spoke quietly. I hadn't realized he had come back into the room. "I mean, they don't have that tracker guy anymore, right? If we run they won't be able to find us." I looked around the room. Everyone looked restless. Jasper and Alice weren't in the room anymore. Where did they go?

"We'll be okay for a few months," Edward spoke cautiously. "They will be back in the fall. We will either have to make a stand, again, or run."

Ben looked irritated as he replied, "How the hell do you know? Maybe the show we put on tonight is enough to scare them away for good."

"Alice is outside. She can't see right with the wolves around, but I can 'hear' her."

"But between Bella, Edward, Marcus, and Alice we should be able to know they're coming. Why not stay and fight?"

My voice was uneasy as I spoke, "I'm not really sure I can do all that again. This... this... _power_ is something I don't really understand yet. You have all had centuries to develop your skills. I'm still kind of 'winging it.' Please don't ask me to do all of that again so soon... I'm not sure I could handle losing anyone."

"Bella's right," Carlisle replied, "we need time to consider all of this. The Volturi understands our strengths now. I do not think they will underestimate us again. The next time the Volturi returns they will either have strength in numbers or strength in abilities."

"They'll have both," Alice said simply as she and Jasper entered the room. "Caius and Aro are already plotting their return. One other thing we might have on our side is the fact that the guard is afraid. There have already been many who have fled the guard. The bad part is that they will replace those members with newborns."

"This is disturbing indeed," Marcus stated to no one in particular. "We have little time to prepare our defenses... We need to flee. The only reason you won the last battle is because they did not realize your power. They will not make the same mistake. We must find refuge until we can develop a better plan."

"And just leave our home!" I was unsure I was the one speaking until all of the eyes in the room were staring at me again. "What about my mom and Charlie? What about all of the wolves and the Reservation? We can't just leave all of them here for the Volturi to use as bait! I've almost lost all of the people who are important to me too many times! I refuse to leave them behind! There has to be another way!"

"Bella, love, we cannot stay here," Edward spoke sympathetically. "There just isn't any way. You can't save everyone, everywhere, all the time. It's just impossible."

If I could cry my face would have been soaked. "Doesn't anyone else have a problem with this?"

"Bella, if we stay there will be more lost than saved..." Alice said quietly. "Leaving is our only chance."

"If it's alright," Jake began, "I'd like to go with you Bella. I don't think I could stand to be that far away from Nessie. Sam can handle things at the Rez. If there is ever a problem here, I'll be the first to know. We still have our link. As far as we know distance isn't an issue. I went all the way to Peru before your wedding."

Sam, Embry, and Leah glanced quickly at one another. "We're coming too."

Discussion broke out amongst everyone in the room. Some of the debates became heated. Nobody wanted to leave their lives behind to go into hiding, but, in the end, we all knew it was the only choice.

"Is everyone in agreement on this then?" Carlisle asked. Everyone shook their heads dejectedly. "How quickly do we need to leave Alice?"

"We have about four months, five at most."

"Then we need to gather again next month to decide our plan of action. This should give everyone time to make their final arrangements." Carlisle looked around the room again to be sure everyone was in agreement. Nobody opposed, though none looked happy about it. "Then it is time we say our goodbyes for the moment. Time is short and I am sure everyone is ready to return to their homes. If any of you need refuge you are welcome here. Nahuel and Huilen, I would imagine that you should remain here for the time being. I am sure you are still in need of some answers. As for those who must leave, please do so knowing the regret we feel for putting you in such dire straights."

"Carlisle," Siobahn spoke wistfully, "we all came of our own free will. We will all hide with you the same."

"Thank you Siobahn. We hope to see all of you within a month's time. Until then..."

The group disbanded abruptly. Everyone said quick goodbyes before leaving to make their preparations. I was so completely overwhelmed with emotions. I could feel Jasper trying to calm everyone before they left. It helped, but did not quiet all of the questions and fears that resided in my soul. How could we hide from the Volturi? Where would we go? What would we do? Would my family be alright? AAAAHHHH! I desperately needed my mind to be still for a moment. Just then He walked up to me, the only person who could speak to my soul and tell it to quiet itself.

Edward looked deep into my eyes and calmed me with only one phrase, "Let's go home, love."

**A/N: The end. I am working on a follow up to this story titled 'Evolution'. I am going to post it eventually, but I want to get a few more chapters written first. Please review this story and leave any thoughts or ideas you may have. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

_"In life, it seems that we can always reflect and appreciate the meaning or logic behind certain events...events that are absolutely vital for one's inner growth whether they are good or bad experiences...events that make perfect sense. So what does this mean? It means that everything that will happen in life will have a purpose, despite our difficulty in appreciating the significance of the moment within the moment, because there is meaning behind and within life. So this very day and this very moment we are in the midst of something meaningful and of incomprehensible importance. Live wisely and live lovingly because where you are tomorrow is the culmination of what you do today. Do things right today and reflect on life tomorrow with a smile."_

Aaron Kusza

_Well, that's the last of it_. I thought to myself as I effortlessly placed the last four boxes in the moving truck. _God, everything is so quiet._ The stillness inside the Cullen house was daunting. We had done everything to prepare for the move. In two hours Edward would return with Renesmee and we would catch our flight for Colorado.

I sat down, out of habit, upon the windowsill. Two months had passed since we stood up against the Volturi. Our world had turned itself upside down since then. In reality, things could not have turned out better. Aside from the sad loss of Iriana, nobody had died. Thankfully Edward, Renesmee, and I were saved from becoming Volturi slaves. Why then did I feel so lost?

I replayed that night over and over in my head. I_ should have_ tried my power against Renata. I_ should have_ simply killed Jane when she attacked us again. The more I thought about it, the more _should have's _I came up with. Logic told me to let it go. There was nothing I could do about it now. But, for some reason I couldn't drop it. I had been the most powerful amongst our group. If I could have just finished the fight in the meadow then everyone who knew me would not be going into hiding.

"All finished Bella?" Jasper's voice broke though my thoughts.

"Umm, yeah. I just loaded the last of it," I replied sadly.

"Bella listen, I know this has all been hard on you. I can feel remorse and regret all around you. You do know that we could not have done anything more, right? I mean, if we had continued the fight, odds are that we would have lost _someone_," Jasper said simply as he sat beside me.

He laid a hand upon my shoulder as he continued, "Sometimes things just don't work out the way we want it to. My Papa always told me 'Remember Jasper, you cannot truly enjoy and appreciate the good times if you don't have hard times first'. I really believe there is so much truth to that statement Bella. The people who have always lived a charmed life do not appreciate the simple gifts that life gives us."

I could feel the waves of tranquility hitting me. Thank God for Jasper. Honestly, if it had not been for him these last few weeks I think I would have gone insane.

"Thanks Jasper, I know. My emotions just get the best of me from time to time. I just hate that we all have to leave. I mean this is our _home_."

"Everything will turn out Bella, you'll see. Alice has been keeping a close eye on the Volturi's next move, and as long as we continue in our plans we won't have a problem hiding from them."

We were going into hiding. I hated that word, _hiding_. It sounded cowardly and sneaky. It was the only plausible course of action though. I took in a deep breath of unneeded air and sighed. A month ago our allies returned to our home. It was quite the gathering.

The rooms in the house were too small for such a crowd, so Alice had set up the backyard. She put up many of the lights and decorations she had used for mine and Edward's wedding. She fiercely wanted to buy new decorations, but time simply did not allow for it. Her thoughts were needed elsewhere. I honestly did not understand why we needed such a set-up for a group of vampires and wolves. It was completely asinine, but Alice is... the way she is. It was a compulsion she couldn't seem to kick.

Charlie, Sue, and the Elders of La Push wanted to attend, but we all knew it would not be a good idea. There would be too many vampires with liberal diets. That was the very last thing we needed to be worrying with.

Other than the humans, most everyone was there. Carlisle, Marcus, and Siobhan stood in the front, facing our tense group. The white lights that were draped throughout the trees cast an eerie glow. Alice had set up a few chairs so that Jacob, Sam, Leah, Embry, Seth, and Nahuel could sit. As for the rest, they were perfectly comfortable standing. It was really quite a site to see; 30 vampires, 5 wolves, and 2 half-breeds all gathered together.

I held a sleeping Renesmee in my arms. Edward looked at me lovingly as he walked behind me and placed his arms around my waist.

Emmett stood with his arm draped carelessly around Rosalie's hip. Rose's face held a look of disgust. She hated it when there were so many wolves around.

Alice and Jasper stood near the front of the group. Jasper enveloped everyone in a sense of peace. It was always tricky having so many of our kind together. His ability came in quite handy when we needed to keep everyone's tempers at bay. Alice would walk into the woods from time to time. I was sure she was walking away so she could 'look' for the Volturi. There were too many wolves and half-breeds here for her to see clearly.

Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya, Kate, and Garrett stood closely to one another. It seemed that Kate and Garrett had become quite the item. They could barely keep their hands off one another. It was pleasant to see that even amongst all of our current turmoil, love could still overcome. Edward and I had been quite busy lately. We were all constantly planning and preparing for the move. I made a mental note to make time for 'us' tonight. I sighed and leaned deeper into Edward's arms. Tanya looked at Edward and me for just a split second before turning away quickly. I couldn't decide if the look she gave us was angry or sad. Hmmm...

Hulien walked past us and stood next to Nahuel. I still couldn't figure Hulien out. She was so quiet and reserved. She seemed very unsure about Nahuel's decision to go to Colorado with us. She preferred to go back to the Amazon, but absolutely refused to leave Nahuels side.

Zafrina, Senna, and Kachiri had gone back to their home, with Hulien, to gather their things and make preparations. The three Amazons seemed to watch over Hulien as they stood behind her. The dim light above us made their dark skin look almost opaque.

Nahuel had spent the last month with us. Carlisle wanted to run some tests on him before he left the hospital. Nahuel seemed to be in perfect shape both mentally and physically. In his downtime he had become quite friendly with Jake and his pack.

Maggie, Liam, and Esme stood to my left. Siobhan, her mate Liam, and Maggie had spent the last month with us as well. They had made preparations before leaving their home in February. Although they did not want to be involved in a war, they were in just as much danger as the rest of us. They did everything they could to assist in researching the Volturi and their guard.

Ben and Tia stood behind me. They had cut their ties with Amun and Kebi. Ben felt no remorse in standing up to the Volturi. Tia, on the other hand, was quite anxious about it. She danced around the thought of returning to Amun and Kebi before deciding she could not leave her mate.

Ben had lost all respect for Amun after he left the field that night. He could not forgive his cowardliness. Ben was a man who based most of his values around honor and pride. He and Emmett had gotten along benevolently.

Finally there were the nomadic vampires. Peter, Charlotte, Mary, Randall, Charles, and Makenna all stood in the back of our group. The wolves made them all quite uneasy. After seeing the destruction the pack could cause to our kind many of them were afraid to get too close. They had all gone their separate ways last month. None spoke specifically about where he or she had gone and I guessed it didn't really matter. They all moved from place to place so regularly they didn't really have anyplace to call home.

The only vampires missing from our gathering were Stefan and Vladimir; the battle-hungry Romanians. They were the first ones to agree to stand beside us if our stand-off in February came to a fight. They held quite a grudge against the Volturi, so confrontation was not an issue for them. When we discussed going into hiding they wanted no part of it.

"We will return to our home," Vladimir said defiantly. His thick accent oozed with arrogance.

"Vladimir," Carlisle spoke, "the Volturi will easily find you. It is not safe to remain there."

"Yes, we will be fine. The Volturi do not dare attack us. We have provisions in place to protect ourselves. Our castle is impenetrable. We will not leave our home. Besides, if the Volturi do decide to attack then it will be a welcomed fight. Their tyranny has lasted far too long."

"Fine," Carlisle stated simply, "do as you wish. Do not say we did not warn you. Our family cannot promise to come to your aid. Now is not the time for battle. We must take time and prepare ourselves. If you cannot wait, then we may not be there."

Marcus's booming voice brought me back to reality. "Now that everyone is here, let us begin."

There were so many things to discuss. Where would everyone go? Would each of us have enough protection? Who would Nahuel and Hulien stay with? Was it safe for any of the allies to return to their homes? How would we handle changes in identification? Were Jenks' services still safe to use? Who would stay to protect the Reservation? We could not just move hundreds of people without explanation. So much to consider...

The discussion went on for hours. Finally it was decided. Carlisle had connections in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. He had made enough donations that a 'favor' meant no questions asked. There was a large home in Colorado, in the Powderhorn Wilderness Preserve.

"It is perfect for what we need," Carlisle said with confidence. "There will not be people for miles. It is a little known tract of land in southern Colorado. Powderhorn consists of 62,000 acres of untouched wilderness. Yes, there is the occasional avid hiker, but the majority of the land has not seen a human presence for hundreds of years. The house was made for firefighters and scientists who cared for and studied the land. Over the years though, the place had become abandoned and forgotten. There are plenty of Elk and Mule Deer for food, with the occasional Mountain Lion and Black Bear. Those who wished to live with us here absolutely must become vegetarian. Anyone who chose to do otherwise is not welcome near Charlie, Sue, Renesmee, and Nahuel."

Charlie and Sue had already decided a month ago that they would be coming too. "We go where our kids go" they had said. I still hadn't explained our 'situation' to him fully, but he could tell how dire the situation was from the tid-bits of conversation he allowed himself to hear. I felt terrible about causing them to part from their lives in Forks, but it also eased my fears of leaving them behind too. Dad and Sue had gotten pretty close recently. I knew they were quickly becoming more than friends.

Mom and Phil would remain out of the loop. I know eventually I will have to tell them, but at this point I need to try to focus on one thing at a time. I had not had much contact with them so far, so hopefully the Volturi wouldn't make the connection. I told Renee that Dad and I were moving to Colorado. She seemed pretty excited about it. Alice was making a point to watch her, and I was making a point to contact her every day. When she asked about our newfound connection I blamed it on newlywed jitters. Mom has always had pretty basic thought process and she accepted the explanation without question.

Leah, Seth, Embry, and, of course, Jake would be coming. Tanya, Kate, Garrett, Ben, Tia, Nahuel, Hulien, and Marcus would join us in Colorado as well.

Eleazar, Carmen, Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie decided that they would travel, acting as recruiters for our cause. They would be our guides in finding support amongst the vampire community. Eleazar was very well connected. He knew many vampires who were upset with the Volturi and their reign. He also knew numerous vampires who were once part of the Volturi Guard. He felt he could sway many of these ex-members in our favor.

They would all make a fantastic team. With Eleazar's connections and ability to recognize gifts, Siobhan's ability to bring positive outcomes, and Maggie's ability to know when she was being lied to, they could find potential allies, know what to powers to protect themselves from when approaching them, and understand if what the vampires said about their allegiances was true.

Emmett argued the fact that he should be added to the Recruiting Team. He loved the idea of being a 'secret agent.' Emmett fought with Carlisle for a long time before conceding to the fact that we needed his help at the Preserve, should we ever come under attack.

The Nomads decided to continue as they had before; constantly traveling wherever they decided. This should work out to their advantage, we thought. They would be much harder to find if they were constantly on the move.

Sam and his pack would stay behind at the Reservation. The number of wolves had jumped again. I guess knowing that a massive number of vampires would soon be on the hunt did that. The way Sam figured, he still had a link with Jake. If any trouble arose then we would be the first to know. It would only take us an hour at most to get back, if we ran.

Zafrina, Kachiri, and Senna would return to their home in the Amazon. The Volturi did not know this area well. It had provided a perfect hiding place for Nahuel for a long time. Their home would be our 'Plan B'. If something were to ever happen in Colorado, then the Amazon would serve as our temporary safe-haven. If we were to ever become separated then we would go there and wait for the others.

And that was that. After a long string of goodbyes and thanks most everyone went their separate ways. At our home we spent the next month finalizing our plans, and packing. Alice kept a vigilant 'eye' on the Volturi. Carlisle and Charlie resigned from their jobs. Edward and I were in charge of making sure J. Jenks got all of our travel and identification plans completed. Many of our house guests made quick trips to their homes to gather their things. Jake helped Sam to tighten the defenses around La Push and Forks. Everything was done. We had completed all of our plans.

Today we were leaving our home and I was scared to death. .


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. Please take the time to review. It keeps the motivation for the writing moving. Questions, comments, concerns, and ideas are all welcome! **

_Where am I? Wait, I know this place. Why am I here? This is the field where we fought the Volturi. What the... _Everything looked strange somehow. The colors in my vision seemed... off. Everything was too bright, but dark at the same time. It was like walking into the shade on a really sunny day.

To my right I heard a rustling in the trees. I immediately put my shield up as I waited for her to come closer. I saw a small, innocent figure with curly brown hair and an excited smile walk into the clearing. _Ness, what are you doing here? What are WE doing here? _A strange sensation came over me at that moment. I should be happy to see my daughter, but instead absolute fear overtook me. "N_essie... what are you doing here?" _I asked with some apprehension.

"_Oh, nothing mama, I just wanted to see what you were up to. I missed you. I wanted to know where you went," _she replied darkly.

"_Come here right now. You shouldn't have come all the way out here alone."_

"_Don't worry mama. I am much, much more capable than you think. I am so glad you decided to come over. Things are so much easier this way."_

Nessie continued walking toward me. Although she could run almost as fast as her father, she skipped along at a humans pace. As Ness walked into the moonlight that lit the center of the clearing I was able to see her. She looked the same as always. Her beautiful, perfect complexion looked flushed, but healthy. She had the same bouncing coppery-brown curls tied into identical pigtails on each shoulder. She smiled with a look of anticipation as she stopped only a few feet away from where I stood.

Absolute terror swept over me. I looked deeply into Ness's eyes as I realized the reason I was afraid. Normally, she had her father's eyes. The same perfect lashes and brows. The only difference between Edward's eyes and Ness's was her irises were the chocolate-brown that used to match my eyes. _These are not her eyes._ The eyes that stared back at me were hard and evil. They had the same crimson hatred that Victoria's eyes had held.

_Ness has been feeding on humans!_

"_Oh, don't worry yourself mama. You're not as innocent as you think. Look for yourself..." _Ness said as she looked to my right.

I turned my head to see what she was looking at. In front of me, about a foot from my face, an ornate mirror hung in midair. It had a dark red frame, so dark that it almost looked black. The mirror gleamed as I looked into it. I saw my own face staring back at me. But there was one difference; my eyes held the exact same crimson as Ness's.

I turned back to Ness in time to see Jake come walking into the clearing.

"_Hey Nessie, I've been looking everywhere for you,"_ Jake said simply as he approached Renesmee's side.

I tried to scream at Jacob, to warn him, but it took me a moment to find my voice. _"Jake, no, Stay back! Something is wrong! Something is terribly, terribly wrong! JAKE! STAY AWAY FROM HER!" _

I was too late. Jake reached Ness's side. She stood in anticipation with her arms held up excitedly. He swept her up into his arms and looked at me, confused.

"_Bella, what's wrong?" _he said, cocking his head to the side – away from Ness.

Renesmee looked at me with a wicked grin and turned her head to Jake's neck. She opened her mouth wide and leaned towards him.

"_Nessie! NOOOOOOOO!"_

"Bella! Bella, snap out of it! Bella! Can you hear me?"

My eyes snapped open in an instant. I jumped up, still screaming, and ran towards the spot where Jake had stood. I blinked my eyes for a moment, realizing that Jake was not here.

"Jake! Where's Jake? I have to stop Renesmee! Something is wrong with her. I have to stop her!" I screamed, looking around the room wildly.

Edward walked towards me hesitantly, "Bella, are you alright? Where did you go just now? Nothing is wrong. Renesmee is with Alice. They are doing some last minute shopping before we leave. Jake will be back from the Reservation in about an hour. They're fine, Bella."

"What? But, I saw them just now, in the clearing. Something was wrong Edward. Ness was _different_. She tried to bite Jacob. We... we have to..." I stopped myself and tried to gain control over my mind. I was not standing in the clearing. I was in the Cullen's house, in the living room. I had been sitting on the window sill. Jacob was not in danger now. Renesmee is not a monster.

I felt the calmness hit as I gasped for breath. I turned around and saw Jasper standing next to Edward in the empty living room. They both looked at me, nervous and confused.

"Bella, we were sitting here talking," Jasper began. "We were talking about how worried you were about the move. You were in mid-sentence, telling me about how you hated the word 'moving', when you just went... blank. I have been trying for the last 10 minutes to snap you out of it. You were just sitting there, eyes closed, in a catatonic state. I shook you, I yelled, but nothing worked. So, I called Edward."

"Bella, love, what did you see?" Edward asked with concern in his eyes.

"Well, I was in the clearing. You know the clearing where we fought the Volturi. It was dark out and I couldn't figure out where I was at first. The next thing I know Ness was coming. I can't believe it but, Edward, I was scared. I was scared of my own daughter. She had changed somehow. Her eyes were red and... I don't know... something about her was, was... dangerous. We were talking. I told her to come to me, but we were interrupted. Jacob walked into the clearing. I screamed at him. I tried to warn him to stay away from her, but he didn't listen. He walked over and picked her up and... Oh god, Edward, she started to _bite_ him! I started to scream, and that's when I woke up."

I left out the part about my own eyes. For some reason, it felt like saying it out loud would bring some kind of truth to it, like I would speak it into happening. Even though I knew everything was fine, my hands started shaking. I felt scared to death.

That feeling passed quickly as Jasper calmed me again. He tried his best not to keep me under a constant calmness. He knew how it irritated me to know I was still vulnerable to some vampiric attacks, despite my shield.

In the last month I had noticed my power growing. It started when I was able to bring my shield down enough to let Edward 'in'.

After that, when I was bored, I would experiment. Jasper and I had worked with it occasionally at first, mostly late at night after Ness had gone to bed. It didn't seem to matter how hard I tried, I was never able to keep Jasper out. I hated it. Even as a granite vampire, I still felt vulnerable.

During these trials I would attempt to thicken my shield - that's the only way I could ever figure to explain it. I thought that if I increased the depth of my shield that I might be able to stop him.

The trouble was that it _completely_ wiped me out. Even though vampires had endless energy and stamina, I would feel drained. It almost felt like exhaustion - for a human that is. I would still have my strength, and I would be perfectly able to perform any physical task asked of me, but my mind just didn't want to function very well. After our workouts I would typically just stand in one spot and let my mind wonder. It was extremely confusing. My thoughts would jump all over the place. One second I would be thinking about Edward, and the next second my thoughts would jump to wondering why deer tasted so different from bears.

I couldn't force myself to think about one, single thing at a time. After about an hour or so I could regain control of my thoughts. _Hmmm..._ I wonder if I had been blocking Jasper without knowing, that could be why I had the vision... blocking Jasper out... my thoughts racing... _Damn, I'm doing it again... God Bella, get a grip..._

"Yeah, could be," I said quickly, before I could forget my thought process – I was starting to think I may never master _that _part of being a vampire –, "but I was wondering, can vampires dream? Because, that's exactly what it felt like I was doing. Remember when I was still human? I used to have dreams, no, not dreams, nightmares like this a lot. It was just like a nightmare. How can I have a nightmare when I can't even sleep?"

"I don't know, Bella, maybe it's like a vision," Jasper replied. "That's kind of how Alice's visions work. The main difference is that she is still somewhat coherent during her visions. She may zone out for a minute or so, but she still knows what is going on around her. You were completely and absolutely gone for about fifteen minutes. You looked like a human who had been knocked unconscious."

I rubbed my hands together nervously, and bit my lip, as I spoke. "Yeah it could be that. But, the fact is that Alice has visions of the future. This couldn't be the future. Ness looked like she did a month ago. You all know how quickly she grows. If it were the future I would have noticed. Like I said, this was more like a nightmare."

"Well," Edward spoke gently, "I guess there is not much use in fretting over it now. We'll talk to Carlisle, Marcus, and Alice about it when we get to the Preserve. Carlisle and Esme caught an earlier flight with Charlie and Sue, so they could get things prepared for everyone's arrival."

"Yeah, guess there's no point in stressing out. It was just a dream, I guess," I said, still feeling a little uneasy. "I do need to check our house one last time though. I feel like we're forgetting something important."

"I'll go with you," Edward replied lovingly. He walked across the room and hooked one arm around my waist. He looked at me tenderly and kissed my neck gently. An instinctual, quiet growl escaped my throat.

"Well," Jasper began, "I think I'm going to find Alice and Nessie. I am beginning to think they will need a little extra motivation to stop shopping – if we want to make our flight on time. We'll meet you at the airport?"

I felt a little sigh of relief for Jaspers' offer. "Sure, sure. That would be great, Jasper, thanks."

"See you soon," he said, walking out the front door.

Edward took my hand in his. He turned my hand over and gently kissed my palm.

"Bella, don't worry yourself. Everything will turn out. I guess sometimes we just have to have a little faith," Edward spoke softly, as he gazed into my eyes. "Let's go back to our house and make sure we did not forget anything."

I laid my head against his chest. Edward was always the one person who could make my brain stop functioning. It was nice to have a moment of peace in my constantly-spinning mind.

Edward and I walked hand-in-hand back to our home. Although we could have made the distance in just a few moments, it seemed we both preferred to walk at a human's pace. This was, after all, the last chance we would have to make this trip for a very long time.

As our home came into view, a sinking, lonely feeling felt like lead in my chest. This was _our home._ A home is supposed to be sacred. It's the one place you should always feel safe and secure. Now, because I couldn't defeat the Volturi, we had to leave. We continued walking as I tried my best to think of what it was we were forgetting. _Do we have Nessie's favorite toys? Yep. Did I pack all of our cloths? Yes. All the furniture is staying here._ Carlisle had made arrangements for movers to come and take the furniture to storage tomorrow. _So what is it?_

Edward opened our front door. Even though the furniture was still there, the house felt terribly blank. None of our pictures hung on the walls. Everything was too clean. All of the beautiful decorations Alice and Esme had used to make the place look nice now sat in boxes, in the middle of the living room floor.

Edward looked at me affectionately. I dropped my shield so that he could hear my thoughts. Gosh, it seemed like my shield was up constantly lately. I could see the compassion on his face as he felt my emotions.

"Bella," he said, as he turned me to face him, "we WILL get through this. None of it is your fault. Look at it this way. Even though things are hard, I am thankful for it. The only way we could have prevented all of this is if I had never met you. It may seem selfish of me, but I am so happy that is not the case. My existence would have been meaningless if it weren't for you. I'll take these hard times if it means we can be together, forever."

My worries melted away in an instant as I looked into his beautiful eyes. He smiled and I immediately stopped breathing. My worries were now replaced by an unhindered love and lust.

Edward placed his hand on the small of my back and pulled my waist tightly against his. There was no doubt that he was feeling the same way. He cupped my face in his hands and pulled my lips to his. He kissed me softly and passionately. After a moment of awkward breathlessness I inhaled deeply. Breath was unneeded, but much, much more comfortable. A broken sigh escaped my mouth.

I ran my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. He slowly ran his fingers down my neck, down the center of my back, and down to my thighs. He gripped my thighs as he picked up each leg and hitched them around his waist. He carried me into our bedroom and laid me gently on the bed.

We spent the next hour wrapped up in each other. Luckily for me, Edward had a better sense of time than I did. Before we realized it, it was time to go meet Alice, Ness, and Jasper at the airport.

"Well, I guess this is a fitting way to say goodbye to our home," I said coyly.

"Have you figured out what it is you feel like you're forgetting?" Edward asked, as he pulled his sweater over his head.

"No, but..."

I looked down toward the bed to find my missing sock and saw something poking out from between the mattresses. I reached down, and pulled out the first picture of Edward and me together. He looked absolutely stunning. In this photo he stood next to a plain girl; a girl who always seemed to find herself in trouble... me. I tucked the picture into my back pocket.

"I think I just found what I was looking for," I said, reaching down to pull my shoe on.

I smiled to myself, knowing I felt at ease. "We can leave now."


End file.
